Chapter 27 of the Phoenix and the Wolverine.
Cylon controlled space...
Cavil watched as Doral ran the simulation.
It was short but very impressive; however the Number One felt more work needed to be done.
"You need to add more," said Cavil before Doral asked him for his opinion.
The Number Five looked at him in disbelief. "Why? Did you not see the increased yield of our nukes?! They are at already 250 percent..."
"Add more Aaron," interrupted Cavil sharply "we have to be very sure or we may not get a second chance."
Aaron frowned and opened his mouth to speak then noticed someone standing in the door way.
Cavil realized that the male cylon was looking at something over his shoulder so he turned round to face another Number One who had a worried look on his face.
"Justin, is there a problem?" asked Cavil carefully.
"I just got a message from the scouts we sent to track the colonial fleet and the Xavier," he paused as if unsure of what to say.
"Go on," encouraged Cavil.
Justin nervously wet his lips. "As you know...we're able to track the fleet when all hidden 108 transmitters send a signal. We were still able to locate the fleet this time but only 82 transmitters sent a locating signal."
Cavil and Aaron shared a troubled look.
"They couldn't have found them that quickly; they only transmit on a timer," said the Number Five in a worried voice.
"Maybe we should ask Caprica for help; after-all she built them..." started Justin.
"No," cut in Cavil " we don't need her help. Maybe the fleet found the transmitters; maybe not...maybe one of their decrepit vipers crashed.
It's a wonder that those ships can still fly!"
Justin did not appear reassured. "But what if they have discovered the transmitters ?"
Cavil's eyes narrowed and he glanced at Aaron, "then we have to work a lot faster towards increasing the yield of our nukes.
However look on the bright side; at least we know where the Xavier is."
A nervous cough from Justin had Cavil and Aaron looking at him.
"Em...about that," started Justin a bit anxiously "the scouts have located the fleet...but the Xavier was not with them."
There was stunned silence as the two male cylons stared at him.
"What?" asked Aaron.
"Why the frak didn't you mention this earlier?!" demanded Cavil with a deadly look on his face.
Justin paled as he tried to answer as calmly as possible. "I was going to tell you, also the colonials did not attack the scouts. They just stayed there until the scouts jumped."
Cavil suddenly stood up and started pacing.
Where in Hades name was the Xavier?
He doubted it had run away; he did not get the impression that the crew of that ship were cowards.
They couldn't have been destroyed by the colonials; they needed that ship and its occupants.
Could they have gone to a nearby base belonging to the Thirteenth Tribe ?
Had they gone for reinforcements?
Cavil suddenly felt like he was running out of time.
"Aaron; this is a sign we need to speed up on those tests and nukes. How many have you already got prepared?"
The Number Five looked a bit startled. "About 80 nukes but..."
"Make more Aaron; at least 200 more."
Justin and Aaron stared at him in shock.
"Two hundred?! There is no way..."
Cavil stopped Aaron's words of protest with a glare. "Find a way Aaron! Our lives depend on it!"
The two men watched in silence as he quickly walked out of the lab.
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The Romulan Neutral border; the USS Dunkirk; Captain's ready room...
" Captain's log.
Star-date 460220.34; November the 15th 2382AD; 1732hrs.
Location, the Romulan Neutral border.
It's been 72 minutes since the wormhole disappeared...along with Ensign Ihuoma Kadretti. There is a high probability that she may not have survived the transit...however at the moment she is listed as missing in action.
Reports from the medical bay state that there are 52 injured personnel; which range from minor to major cases.
Of the Infinity crew; Lieutenant Commander Shila Atavi sustained the most serious injuries and she is in a critical but stable condition.
Lieutenant Commader Klaus Flint sustained severe concussion injuries and multiple fractures to his right upper limb however his condition is also stable.
Major Nveid Solius sustained minor head injuries which were treated and after a quick debriefing he left for the Romulan Warbird Vigilance.
Due to the gravitational and electromagnetic pull from the anomaly; there have been reports of damage from around the Dunkirk.
Engineering has been working non-stop to repair significant parts of the communication array and also replenishing our dilithium stores from the USS Zeus and the USS Endeavour.
Our two sister ships also sustained minor damage that will soon reach completion of repairs.
While our allies on board the IKS Y'tem are also repairing parts of the ship which were damaged in the incident. Fortunately; there were no significant injuries on board the Zeus; Endeavour or the Y'tem."
Singh paused for a few seconds before continuing.
"Due to the damage to our communication's array; we are only able to send and receive messages on a very short range which is basically from ship to ship; however Captain T'Laina has relayed a message to Starfleet on my behalf to explain what has occurred so far.
The plan is to repair as much as we can while waiting for Starfleet to send further instructions.
Captain Singh of the USS Dunkirk out."
Silence reigned as the empath stared at the window.
He was not really seeing the stars but recalling what had happened so recently.
Immediately after the wormhole disappeared; he got the reports of injured and of damaged parts of the ship.
He barely had time to be shocked at the extent of damage that had occurred in mere minutes.
No one had yet discovered why the wormhole had been triggered or why it had suddenly shut down before almost drawing the 3 starfleet ships and one Klingon warbird into it.
And Singh felt no one may ever know why the wormhole had occurred in the first place or how it disappeared.
His main worry was that since it had appeared so fast; it may occur again.
Ever since Solius had left; the Romulans had been quiet.
That is until 6 more warbirds joined them.
Singh had asked for an explanation and the captain of the Decius had simply answered.
"We'll get back to you later Captain Singh."
That had infuriated the Starfleet senior officer but what prevented him for lashing out was the hidden terror he felt from the female Romulan captain.
She was scared of something...and Singh had an idea the reason for that.
After all ; the Romulans had not lifted a finger to help when the Infinity was drawn into the anomaly.
Major Nveid Solius could have died if not for the bravery of Mr Flint and the sacrifice of Ensign Kadretti.
The romulans had been prepared to let the Tal Shiar die despite the unthinkable repercussions that would have caused if the romulan had died on a Starfleet vessel.
Singh suddenly felt pain in his right hand and realized that the fist he had made was digging nails into his palm. He forced himself to relax with breathing exercises.
He could not lose his calm; a lot depended on him.
A soft bell sound and a familiar presence at his doors; warned him that someone was waiting outside.
"Come in," said Singh in a calm voice.
His tactical officer Lieutenant Commander Telev Shran entered the room.
"Sir, you wanted an update."
Singh pointed to a chair. "Go on Mr Shran."
"Engineering has reported that our dilithium crystals are fully stocked but the repairs with the communication array is a lot trickier than expected; the chief has pulled even some of his personnel from the infirmary to assist."
Singh frowned "they need to heal first."
Shran nodded . "Yes captain; I understand but the Chief did it on a volunteer basis and they all went.
Forgive me for saying this sir; but we really need to get it fixed quickly and also get more ships here. Having 12 romulan warbirds staring at us from over the line is not pleasant."
Singh stared at his tactical officer. "We can't have more ships; we do that and the Romulans will state we are preparing for an invasion."
The andorian's eyes narrowed but he nodded slowly. "Yes sir."
Singh kept looking at the senior officer; he could sense anger and guilt.
"You knew her well?"
The tactical officer actually looked a bit embarrassed. "She was a good officer and very dedicated to her job. It's just a shame that she had to die so young."
The captain was silent for a while as he remembered friends, family and colleagues he had lost during the Dominion War.
Loosing relatives or friends during a war was one thing but during peacetime...was very hard to accept.
"Did you know she had a mutant ability?" asked Singh.
Shran gave him a stunned look and the empathy could feel his genuine shock.
"No...that can't be possible..." his voice trailed off.
Singh sighed "that was one of the first things the Tal Shiar told me; I later spoke to him at length in the medical bay and he said she kept the ship together long enough for Mr Flint to teleport to the bridge.
Also the ships sensors stated some...force from the Infinity disconnected the tractor beam and the electromagnetic forces from the Dunkirk."
Shran's lips were compressed in a thin line.
"She saved the entire ship," he rubbed his face wearily "stars above; this is hard."
The captain nodded. He was not looking forward to creating a vid-message for Ensign Kadretti's parents. If he recalled correctly; her father was a Starfleet Commander and her mum was an astro-physicist; both of them were based on the USS Prometheus.
Commander Kadretti probably knew the risks of being an officer in Starfleet but that did not make it any easier for a parent to accept the fact that their child was missing...most likely dead.
The soft bell sound at his doors interrupted his thoughts as he picked up on the familiar presence of two of his officers.
"Come," said Singh calmly.
A few seconds passed before his chief engineer, Commander McIntyre walked in with Ensign O'Reilly.
The captain had to strengthen his mental shields quickly; the amount of grief and guilt that he felt from the male ensign was troubling.
"Report."
"Shield generators are now completely repaired; the dilithium crystals and the warp core are stable. However communication is still a problem," McIntyre paused " we can still communicate with the nearby ships but long distance subspace communication is not possible at the moment."
"Do we know why?" asked the captain.
The engineer nodded wearily. "Aye sir; those...tentacles were able to go through our shields and practically rip a large part of the communication array to shreds. We're still replicating parts to replace it and it would take maybe another 2 hours before we can use it for long distance messages.
However we can use either the Zeus or the Endeavour to 'sling-shot' a message to Starfleet...would save you a trip over there just to send a message."
Singh nodded; he regretted the time needed but he could tell they had no choice. "Anything else ?"
McIntrye looked at the silent male ensign beside him.
"Captain; most of our sensors were also heavily damaged; we're working as fast as possible to repair all. At the moment 45 percent of them are still usable," said Ensign Cassius O'Reilly in a tired voice.
Singh hid an internal wince; all this damage had occurred during a very brief struggle with a wormhole.
In his mind; he was certain there was no way the small shuttle could have made it through intact.
Even if the Ensign Kadretti had used her ability.
"You need to speak to the boy captain."
Singh looked at the chief engineer who was also a telepath.
"I canna get through to him...I know he blames himself for Ensign Kadretti's death; he's also working himself into the ground in order to deal with his grief.
It was a miracle that he was able to get Ms Atavi back to us...even I wouldna have succeeded."
"Leave it with me Chief...and thanks for bringing this matter to my attention," mindspoke the captain.
Singh turned to look at the three Starfleet officers before him.
"I appreciate everything all of you have done; we will be awaiting directives from Starfleet. In the meantime everyone should be observant.
Return to your duties ; however Mr O'Reilly please stay behind."
There was a resigned look on the boy's face as the two senior officers left the room.
Captain Singh could sense the boy's weary and gloomy mood; he realized the boy thought he was being asked to stay behind to be reprimanded.
"Ensign; have a seat."
"Yes sir," the teenager waited for his captain to be seated before he sat.
Singh got straight to the point.
"You are not at fault for Ensign Kadretti's disappearance."
Cassius O'Reilly looked slightly startled ; then a bleak look appeared on his face.
"Permission to speak sir."
Singh stared at him for a few moments; then nodded.
The boy took a deep breath before speaking.
"I was given an order to retrieve the occupants of the Infinity.
Despite my ability and the fact that I majored in Engineering...I failed.
I let Oma die."
Singh saw the wetness in the boy's eyes and to his relief no tears fell. The captain waited for more to be said but it was clear that the ensign was in no position to say anything else.
"Mr O'Reilly...during the war, I watched officers under my command die. I couldn't save them and even now I still wonder if there was a way I could prevented even one death.
What you are experiencing; is very difficult to accept...but you must know one thing.
You did not fail; I have heard that only you could have been fast enough to save Ms Atavi...and by saving her ; you also saved Mr Flint and Major Solius."
O'Reilly looked at him with a puzzled expression.
Singh continued. "Do you know the extent of Ms Atavi's injuries ? If you had not got her out when you did...she would have died.
Also by removing her; Mr Flint was able to focus on removing one more person...Major Solius but at that point the ship was on the verge of being torn apart."
The captain clasped his hands and leaned forward. "It appears the Infinity was being held together by Ensign Kadretti's magnetism powers."
O'reilly gaped at him. "That's ...that's not possible sir. She was not a mutant. We attended the same classes at the Academy!"
Singh could sense the boy's genuine shock. Part of him wondered why the girl had hid her ability. Mutant abilities were extremely rare in human-hybrids but were greatly treasured when discovered.
This was because only less than 0.02 percent of human hybrids showed a mutant ability.
"Major Solius has confirmed it; as well as Mr Flint. Also the minimal sensor readings we have been able to decipher show that the shields of the Infinity had failed completely but had been replaced by a strange electromagnetic shield.
I also believe she disconnected the tractor beam and the strange EMG tentacles.
Ms Kadretti saved the crew of the Infinity and also the ship.
I doubt she would accept you blaming yourself for something that was not for-seen by anyone.
That would not do her memory justice."
There was silence for a long time; then the Ensign looked at the captain.
"Sir...she's dead; isn't she?"
Singh was very reluctant to reply but he had to say something.
"I don't know Ensign...but that is a possibility we need to consider."
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The captain stared at the door long after the Ensign left. At the end of the talk; the guilt and grief were still present in Mr O'Reilly and the captain felt those emotions would be present for a long time; but a new feeling of determination had been added.
That was better than his previous state of mind.
Singh had ordered the boy to get some sleep at once; for the next 2 hours at least before returning to duty.
The captain's thoughts returned to the wormhole incident; there was something else troubling him that he needed to discuss with two of his senior officers.
Singh pressed the com-badge. "Mr Shran and Mr Bishop; please come to the ready room."
When the two officers turned up; it was to find him on his feet.
Bishop and Shran both had slightly anxious looks on their faces.
"Gentleman; what are the Romulans doing at the moment?"
Bishop frowned. "Simply sitting there across the line; staring at us. No more messages have been sent. Is there a problem captain?"
The captain was silent for a while before replying.
"Soon after we got Major Solius and Mr Flint back on board. I had a chat with the major.
He wanted to send a message first to the Decius; he didn't seem to mind my presence." Singh paused.
"But I felt a lot of rage and some guilt coming for the romulan."
Telev raised an eyebrow and one blue antenna. "Guilt? I doubt a Tal Shiar knows such a word exists."
Bishop nodded in agreement.
Sing smiled dryly. "I had the same thought myself...so after he was treated I asked him to explain why the Romulans withheld the fact that they tried to send a ship into the wormhole before we got here."
"They did what?" the stunned expression on Commander Bishop's face quickly turned to one of controlled anger.
"Why am I not surprised," said Shran through gritted teeth "how did you know ?"
Singh shook his head. "I didn't; I was bluffing and he didn't deny it."
Bishop and Shran shared a surprised look.
The captain was not done as he replayed the terse conversation he had with the Tal Shiar in the medical bay.
"His exact words were...let it not be said that 2 unmanned crafts were sent towards the anomaly and that both were grabbed by light tentacles and destroyed."
"Captain; they knew this...and they said nothing," said Bishop in a hard voice "that was why the other Romulan ships did not come near us when we were being dragged towards the wormhole."
"Then why did Major Solius get on board the Infinity?" asked Shran " he knew the risks."
Singh rubbed the lower part of his face. "I asked him why...he stated he actually thought the wormhole was now stable and was certainly not going to let the Federation be the first ones to travel through it and laying claim to the other side."
"But the Infinity had no plans to enter it in the first place," hissed Bishop.
Shran laughed bitterly. "He didn't trust us Commander; that's why he wanted to come as well!"
"But we must acknowledge that he did suggest that Ms Atavi be transported to safety first; that saved her life," said Singh "then again if he had mentioned what happened to their unmanned crafts...maybe I would have taken more precautions."
"No maybe about it captain," said Bishop grimly " if we had known this; we wouldn't have let a manned shuttle that close to the anomaly. It's because of the Romulans that we lost an ensign and almost lost 3 Starfleet ships and one klingon warbird!"
"I agree sir; the tentacles of the anomaly decreased our shields to 52 percent in less than 3 minutes...we could have been destroyed," said Shran with a heated look on his face.
"Be that as it may; he still took a great risk telling us," said Singh in a thoughtful tone "come to think of it...he's unlike any Tal Shiar I have ever met.
We need more information about him."
Shran nodded. "Already on it sir; it will take a while but I will do what I can.
Will you tell Starfleet about this...omission ?"
Singh was silent for a few moments. " I will inform Starfleet but not now. Solius may be the best Tal Shiar we can relate with...so keep this close to your chests gentlemen, I don't think this is over yet."
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Singh watched the vid-message he had prepared for Ensign Kadretti's parents.
He hated this part of his job; but he had to do it.
The captain pressed symbols on his desk-com; it was time to send the message via the communications array of the USS Zeus.
He knew from experience that delays in sending messages of missing or dead personnel to their next of kin was not acceptable; he only wish he could tell them in person.
However what he had in mind was to try and contact the USS Prometheus through the USS Zeus and try to speak to the ensign's father.
But he had to keep in mind that he may not get the parents on his first try; they may be off the ship or on duty.
Singh pressed some more symbols and waited for a response from the USS Zeus. It did not take long before he got confirmation that he had a secure line to the USS Prometheus.
Singh froze when he saw it's location and current status.
Talk about coincidences and the sad irony of the current situation.
The ship was in orbit above Bajor and most of it's crew were on long overdue shore leave.
Something told Singh that Kadretti's parents may not be on the ship.
He first tried to contact the captain of the ship and was relieved when someone answered.
His desk top screen changed from the Starfleet insignia to show the attractive face of Captain Brenia E'Kalez.
She looked a bit surprised.
"Good day Captain E'Kalez; we haven't met. I am Captain Singh of the USS Dunkirk."
The red skinned female officer smiled back at him. "Nice to meet you, Captain Singh; though I am a bit curious as to know why you're speaking to me via the communications of the USS Zeus...from the Romulan Neutral border," then her smile changed to one of concern "do you require assistance?"
Singh sighed. "Not at the moment Captain and I appreciate the offer...but I was trying to reach Commander Kadretti and his wife. It's about their daughter Ensign Ihuoma Kadretti."
Brenia's expression changed to one of dread. "What happened?"
"She's missing in action Captain," replied Singh.
Brenia's eyes narrowed. "Did the Romulans take her?"
Singh knew he was millions of miles away from her but he clearly heard the hidden rage in her voice.
"No; it's not what you think. I really need to speak to her parents."
Brenia stared at him for a few moments. "Captain Singh; the Kadrettis are currently on shore leave on Bajor in the Mhonir region."
She paused and waited for that piece of information to sink in.
Singh closed his eyes briefly; matters had now gotten complicated.
He knew of the Mhonir region; when he had visited Bajor during the war he had heard tales of that particular rugged , heavily forested area.
It held certain significance in Bajoran history because it had been one of the places for the Resistance to hide during the Cardassian occupation.
Because of one prominent factor.
It was an electronic dead zone.
Landers on the ground could not enter it; subspace communicators and transporters would not work there and aircrafts which flew too close to the ground would have engine failure and crash.
It was the Bermuda Triangle of Bajor and the Resistance had loved the area while the Cardassians had hated it with a passion.
There was a rumour that they tried several times to bombard it from orbit; but for some inexplicable reason; the missiles never detonated.
Many religious bajorans believed that the Prophets had blessed the area and made it a sanctuary for the Resistance.
Now that Bajor was free and a part of the Federation; the Mhonir region was a popular tourist destination for people who did not mind trekking into the area and leaving behind technology for a short period.
"Someone will have to go in there by foot or air to inform them; so please; tell me what happened."
Singh frowned. "Did you just say air? But aircraft cannot fly in that area...?" His voice stopped in mid sentence when Brenia moved so that he could see part of the huge black feathered wings that protruded from her back.
"Satisfied now captain? Now; what happened?" she asked again in a firm tone.
Singh sighed. "You do realize that I can't tell you everything."
The captain of the USS Prometheus glared at him for a while; then took a deep breath. "Then tell me what you can."
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USS Prometheus; the captain's ready room...
Brenia stared at the Starfleet insignia on her desk-com. Captain Singh had just sighed off a few minutes ago but it felt like decades had passed since he first called her.
The captain of the USS Prometheus marshalled her thoughts and sent several messages to a certain location in Starfleet Headquarters on Earth.
To her relief she got a reply shortly; she nodded grimly when she saw the message.
Then she sent one urgent message to her chief security officer Lieutenant Commander Brian Demarce.
He was currently on board DS9; then all she could do was wait.
She suddenly felt restricted and stood up so as to try and stretch the 6 feet wings that she kept folded at her back.
Brenia understood why Singh tried to inform the Kadrettis directly; next of kin who were civilians usually got the sad news late.
It was unavoidable because of certain security issues; so when most messages reached civilians it usually started with 'we regret to inform you of the loss of your family member who died in the line of duty'.
Sensitive information of the location or mission was usually left out.
But even for Starfleet officers who had lost enlisted relatives; they also got an abridged version with a little bit more detail. The major difference was that they got the message a lot faster.
Brenia was not satisfied with the version of events that Singh had given her and she was certain that Trey and Nadia would feel the same way.
She was certain about this because she knew their secret.
More than 8 years ago; Brenia was the chief security officer of the USS Dunkirk under Captain Lorna Steinberg and second in command Commander Eran Wrenar.
She had been woken up in the middle of the night and ordered to report to the medical bay. When she got there she noticed straight away that a young scared looking Ihuoma Kadretti was sitting on a bio-bed surrounded by her worried parents, Dr Kalman and Captain Steinberg.
It didn't take long for Brenia to find out that her god-daughter was a mutant.
She had been surprised by the news because of how rare it was to find the mutant gene and a ability in a human-hybrid.
The congratulations died on her lips when she saw the look of dread on the faces of the parents.
Once the adults moved away from the confused child; Brenia found out why and she understood.
Many people who met Brenia for the first time saw a 5 foot 11 slim humanoid female with ruby red skin and slightly curly night-black shoulder length hair. Her face was oval shaped; with black pupils with red irises but her most outstanding features were her 6 foot long red and black feathered wings.
Most thought at first that she was a member of one of alien races which made up the Federation.
Then they saw her red and black feathered wings and thought she was a human-hybrid and thus labelled her as one of the 0.02 percent of human hybrids with a mutant ability.
What they did not realize was that she was completely human; she had inherited her wings from her mother and her ruby red skin and teleporting ability from her father.
On Earth and many of it's colonies; no one gave her second glance; but here in space many non-humans seemed quite curious about her.
A good number of non-human scientists had asked if she would not mind being included in research concerning human-hybrids with mutant abilities.
Brenia had lost count of numerous times that she had explained she was not a human-hybrid; that she was completely human and that she was not interested in being part of their research.
Most of those scientists had not believed her.
Neither had the two Tal Shiar who had come on board the USS Prometheus at the beginning of the Dominion War.
After almost scaring an 11 year old Oma to death; the female romulan officer actually had the guts to request that Brenia be transferred to her ship in order to act as a 'liaison' between their two ships.
The late Captain Steinberg; God rest her soul had smiled at the senior female romulan officer and politely but firmly replied. "Thanks for the offer but no."
Brenia had been sitting beside Trey at that meeting and was the only one who noticed the tight fists he made as he tried to control his anger.
She already knew what had happened earlier when the Tal Shiar had accidentally bumped into Oma; the idiots must have thought the ship was filled with human-hybrids with mutant abilities.
Brenia had been sad to see the young Oma and her mother leave the next day and she had seen how much the separation had cost Trey.
But Oma's safety was paramount.
Brenia had been close friends with Nadia and Trey. She had been named Oma's 'godmother' when she was born, an ancient Earth title which meant guardian.
Fortunately the war had lasted only 2 terrible years; but the butcher's bill had been too high when one included the devastating surprise attack on Earth; the occupation of prominent Federation worlds and the numerous hard fought interstellar battles.
So many lives had been lost including that of Captain Steinberg and her second in command Eran Wrenar as the Federation Alliance Fleet fought for each bloody parsec of space on the path to Cardassia.
Soon after the war ended a badly damaged USS Prometheus was towed back to a Starbase near Earth where it underwent extensive repairs.
At that base Oma and Nadia had been waiting for Trey.
Their reunion had brought tears to Brenia's eyes and she had been so happy to witness at least one happy ending.
Too many crew members never got to see their families.
But now in a time of peace Brenia had to tell Oma's parents that they will never see their only child again.
Captain Brenia E'Kalez thoughts returned to the present as a soft bell sound alerted her that someone was at the door.
"Come in," she ordered in a firm voice as she folded her wings tightly.
The door slid open to reveal Lieutenant Commander Brian Demarce; one of the original crew who had survived the Dominion War.
The officer had light brown hair and piercing green eyes which looked worried when he saw the solemn expression on Brenia's face.
"Captain; is everything alright?"
Brenia answered carefully. "I just got a message for Commander Kadretti and Nadia Kadretti...Oma is missing."
The security officer stared at her in shock. "How...where? She was on a science vessel?!"
A science vessel close to the Romulan Neutral border; just like her father had been when he disappeared decades ago.
This was like an extremely bad joke being played twice thought Brenia.
The captain nodded. "I know. We have to tell Trey and Nadia soon."
Brian replied in a frustrated manner. "They are in the Mhonir regions...once we beam down to the border; it will take at least 6 hours to drive a cart to the Monastery...or at least twice that time to walk to the place that is if we find a guide in time..."
"I have been there before Mr Demarce. I know the way and it will take us at most 3 hours...if you can get me another fast flyer."
Brian's green gaze moved to her tightly folded wings. " I see."
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Brenia was tapping her foot impatiently in the transport room when the chief security officer showed up with three other Starfleet officers in yellow and black uniforms.
"Three extra officers as you requested captain."
Brenia took in the three slightly nervous young officers and turned to Brian.
"I asked for only one more officer who had flight capability."
"Two more is a good number captain," said the chief with a blank look on his face.
Brenia decided to keep quiet; they still had a long way to go.
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Beaming down to the Starfleet regional office in Jalanda City was not a problem; once Brenia took permission from the local authorities, her group of five was beamed to the borders of the Mhonir region.
Once they materialized she turned to the rest of her party.
Brian had picked three Lieutenants; Emelda Ares, Martin Shalador and Frederick Mendez.
Emelda could control air currents; Martin had wings like Brenia except that his had white feathers and Frederick could levitate and fly at high speed.
Brian however could use his flame ability to fly; that had earned him the nickname of one of Earth's old heroes; 'Cannonball'.
Brenia had seen him use it during the Dominion war and he had been very impressive.
"We will be flying to the Naseer Monastery in the northeast section of the Mhonir region. It will take at least 3 hours; can you fly that long?"
The three junior ones looked at each other and answered. "Yes captain."
Brenia looked at Brian.
"A walk in the park captain," said the security officer reassuringly "however may I suggest something?".
The captain tried not to sigh at his confident manner; she wondered if his question had to do with why he had picked two more officers than she had requested.
Brian had better have a good reason why.
"You may," she replied calmly.
"Captain; since we will be flying for 3 hours; I suggest two of the strongest flyers carry a flyer each, so that when we find Commander Kadretti and Dr Kadretti..."
"Those passengers will carry them back; thus saving energy and time," completed Brenia with an approving tone "good idea Mr Demarce."
Her chief smiled at her. "Glad you like it captain."
However Brenia's expression changed to a thoughtful frown. "So who's carrying who?"
Brian actually looked a bit nervous. " I could carry you captain..."his voice trailed off at the glare on his captain's face.
"Oh maybe you could carry me if that's not a problem," the security officer quickly recovered.
Brenia could not help but smile at his fast response. "Exactly."
She turned and asked Emelda if she could carry Frederick; fortunately that did not seem to be a problem.
"Then let's move," said Brenia.
She hesitated for a moment before moving towards Brian.
"Mr Demarce, if I may..."
"Of course captain," said the security officer calmly.
Brenia bent and put her left forearm behind his knees and used her right forearm to support his back as she lifted him.
He was not heavy; she had lifted much heavier but for some reason she felt a bit uncomfortable at such close contact.
As for Brian he held on to her loosely and seemed very relaxed.
Brenia concentrated for a short while then teleported the both of them into the air several feet above the ground, she beat her powerful wide-spanned wings several times to maintain her position, then she looked down.
Emelda had used her air currents to fling Martin into the air where he beat his wings to maintain his position; then the female lieutenant joined them; with her right hand holding Frederick's left hand.
The two officers looked to be standing on air.
Brenia nodded at the three junior officers ; then with one powerful flap of her wings she flew forwards.
A quick look behind after a few seconds showed that the three Starfleet officers were keeping up.
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Naseer Monastery...
The young female bajoran student monk had the shock of her life when she looked up and saw 4 winged figures diving towards the entrance to the monastery.
For one second she almost cried out in alarm; but her voice froze in her throat when she recognized the uniforms they were wearing.
Starfleet uniforms.
Two years after the Dominion War ended; Bajor had completed its application to join the Federation and now many Bajorans applied for the Starfleet Academy Entrance Exams.
The young student knew all about them because she had been thinking of applying for the same exams for the past 6 months.
Her fear turned to awe as the small group landed gracefully; they each looked powerful but not arrogant. At first she thought the carried ones were hurt ; so she moved forward to render assistance.
Then the two carried males were set lightly on their feet.
Nela Vonne walked towards the red skinned woman in a red and black Starfleet uniform; for some reason she felt she had to be the leader.
"C...can I help you?"
The winged Starfleet officer smiled at her. "Yes; if you please. I'm Captain E'Kalez of the USS Prometheus. We're here to pick up two crew members, Commander Kadretti and Dr Kadretti."
The bajoran tried to speak calmly. "Em...they are still out with the others ," she watched their faces fall "but they should be back in about half a hour," she said quickly.
The captain shared a look with the solemn looking brown-haired human man beside her.
"Thank you; we will wait for them."
Nela nodded nervously; then swallowed.
The red skinned female Starfleet officer before her gave her a look of concern. "Is everything alright?"
Nela nodded quickly. "I...I just wanted to ask...what's it like...attending the Starfleet Academy...that is if you have time to please tell me."
Captain E'Kalez's smile was a bit sad. "Yes; I can talk to you a bit about the Academy."
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The first inkling that Brenia had that the Kadretti's had arrived was when she heard a familiar greeting in klingon.
She excused herself from the slightly emboldened Nela.
"Nadia; Trey, good to see you both."
The two had just come in with a small group of hikers. The Kadrettis had opted for the wilderness get-away; which included mountainous hikes and camping in pristine untouched habitats.
It was both dangerous and invigorating; Brenia had thought about it herself but that was going to be put on hold indefinitely.
"It's good to see you too Captain," replied Nadia ; her black hair was in a long thick braid at the back of her head; she looked tired but happy at the same time.
Meanwhile; her husband's short snow white hair was covered with dust and his hazel eyes twinkled with mischief. The dust was also on his clothes.
"Why captain; have you come to join in the fun?" His smile slowly disappeared when he noticed the solemn looks on their faces.
"What's wrong? Are we being recalled?"
Nadia groaned. "Not now! We just started this holiday?"
Brenia answered carefully. "We need to discuss this elsewhere."
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A few minutes later, Brenia and Brian were with the Kadrettis in a nearby room. They had left the lieutenants with Nela in the courtyard.
"Captain, now I'm concerned. What is wrong?" asked the second in command of the USS Prometheus, Trey Kadretti.
Brenia took a deep breath. " I received a message from Captain Singh of the USS Dunkirk."
There was dead silence.
"No, no..." began Nadia with a look of horror on her face; Trey was speechless.
Brenia forced herself to continue. "Oma is missing."
"No!" screamed Nadia while Trey looked as if he had just seen his worst nightmare. Brenia felt her heart break as she told them the rest.
"It happened close to the Romulan Neutral Border."
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Brenia had to watch as Trey tried to comfort his distraught wife. She was certain that half the compound must have heard Nadia's scream of anguish.
She felt like screaming herself; when Nela had asked her about joining Starfleet Academy, it had brought back some bitter-sweet memories.
Soon after the Dominion War; Oma and her mum had returned to a refitted Prometheus. The 13 year old had approached Brenia and asked about the Academy; then Oma had asked her if she could use her as a reference.
Trey could not be a referee because he was her father, the fact that the family trusted Brenia that much had been a precious gift.
Brenia had been honoured to be a referee and she had helped her prepare for the exams and interviews. She had been so proud when Oma became a cadet and she had been kept appraised of her progress.
It was like bringing up her own child; which she was yet to have.
But if what she saw before her was the price one paid when a child died; then maybe she should consider never having children.
Brenia suddenly felt someone was looking at her and she lifted her head just in time to catch an odd look from Brian.
What was he thinking?
"Captain" she turned at the raw voice of her second in command; he looked like he had aged 20 years in a minute.
"Do you know why she was close to the Neutral Zone ?"
Brenia sighed. "Captain Singh could not tell me everything...but the most I could get was that the USS Dunkirk was assigned to a joint Romulan-Starfleet task force that was investigating an anomaly.
He would not go into details of what the anomaly was but something went wrong...Oma was the only fatality."
"They think she's dead," said Nadia in a broken voice.
"Nadia, I'm not sure..." started Brenia.
"Yes!" shouted Nadia "they think she's dead! I don't believe it! The romulans have her! I know it!"
Brenia noticed her security chief's look of confusion. "We don't know that Nadia."
"But it's way too much of a coincidence isn't it captain," said Trey his hazel eyes hard, cold and filled with grief at the same time " twice a science vessel disappears close to the Neutral Zone...we know this is not the first time."
He straightened up. "Captain; I will be tendering my resignation."
Brenia and Brian stared at him in shock.
"What...?" began the captain.
"My actions..."started Trey.
"You're not leaving me behind!" stated Nadia vehemently.
"Our actions in the coming days may compromise the USS Prometheus," continued Trey without missing a beat " so we wish to pursue this matter on our own..."
"Pardon me for saying so sir, but like Hell you will," said Brian forcefully; his words surprised Brenia and Nadia but Trey glared at him.
"You will not stop me from leaving Starfleet to find my daughter!" said Trey through clenched teeth.
"Brian's right; you're not leaving Starfleet," cut in Brenia. The commander turned to her with an icy look on his face.
"And that is because we are all coming with you."
"What?" whispered a shocked Nadia; Trey just stared at the captain.
"I cancelled shore leave for everyone and called in a few favours from some friends of mine in Starfleet...don't ask me who.
They kindly replied before we beamed down to Bajor.
As of now; we have been assigned to USS Dunkirk to investigate the anomaly at the Neutral Border."
"You would do this...for us?" asked Trey with a stunned look on his face.
Brenia gave him a mock glare. "Trey; she's my god-daughter...as far as I am concerned that means family. No one ,especially family gets left behind."
Trey and Nadia looked at Brian who was nodding his head in approval.
Nadia walked up to Brenia and hugged her tightly. "Thank you," she had tears in her eyes.
"Save that for when we find her," said the captain of the USS Prometheus gently. She looked at the people in the room.
"The fastest way to leave is by flying out of here...hope you don't get air-sick."
Trey and his wife managed a weak smile when they looked at each other.
"We're ready to go now captain."
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The Xavier, the bridge...
Logan watched as Q Junior showed Oma the communication centre.
"Penny for your thoughts?"
He turned to find Jean by his side.
"Hi...you okay?" he asked as he turned back to watching the two ensigns in identical uniforms.
"Yes; what about you?" asked Jean.
"Okay; I guess," said Logan in a mutter.
She sighed and leaned closer to whisper back. "Liar."
Logan found the combination of her soft voice and her scent of lavender and cream to be quite pleasing and forced his thoughts to be completely neutral before Jean blasted him to smithereens.
"You're worried about her being on this ship," said Jean; apparently she did not seem to know what Logan was thinking.
Thank God for that.
"Wouldn't you be? I mean it seems like a heck of a coincidence if you ask me!"
Jean shook her head. "No; it's not...she is what she says she is. You're just grumpy because you're got another student to train."
Logan raised an eyebrow. "Train? She's in Starfleet for crying out loud! What can I possibly teach her?"
Jean had an impish light in her eyes. "I'm not talking about that...I'm talking about the kind of training you used to give the students at Professor Xavier's school."
Logan stared at her. "Excuse me...I thought they had schools for that now."
The doctor beside him nodded. "Yes, they do...but for her it's different. You do realize she is a human-klingon hybrid."
The look on the captain's face was wary. "And?"
"And she has an ability; which only presents in less than 0.02% of hybrids?
What you don't know is that she has been hiding it."
Logan's eyes widened. "Why was she hiding it?! I thought mutants were accepted here!"
Jean sighed again "You haven't finished reading all the articles yet, have you? Look, on Earth and its colonies; being mutant is normal but to some alien races; they fear the mutant gene and what it represents...something that they don't understand."
Logan's eyes narrowed. "Now that is assuring."
Jean was shocked. "What?"
He looked at her. "It's good to know that there are always idiots out there who are just as paranoid as the colonials. I can't wait to meet them."
Jean did not have any time to respond to that because Q Junior and Oma approached them with worried looks on their faces.
"Is something wrong?" asked Logan.
Oma and Q Junior shared a concerned look.
"We have tried 4 times to raise the USS Dunkirk; we're not getting through," said the male ensign. Logan looked at Oma who appeared very anxious.
She's telling the truth captain mind-spoke Jean.
"Maybe they had problems with the communications array" said Logan to everyone's surprise "however is there any other secure location you can transmit to ?
Oma sighed in despair. "No; I don't have the communications code for the USS Zeus or the Endeavour; I didn't think I would need..."then her voice trailed off as if she was thinking.
"What is it?" asked Logan.
Ensign Kadretti looked at him with faint hope in her eyes.
"I may have an idea," she turned to Q Junior.
"Can we transmit a message to the Bajoran sector from here?"
The boy's eyes widened. "Yeah...it's gonna be a bit patchy but I can clean it up as best as I can...do you have the codes for DS9?"
Oma was already shaking her head in excitement. "No; but I have the communication codes of my parents who are stationed on the USS Prometheus.
Their ship was due for shore leave a few days ago and it's last location was Deep space Nine.
I can get a message to them," then her smile fell "but they will be in the middle of their holiday in the Mhonir region."
"How is that a problem?" asked Logan curiously.
Q Junior looked at him. "The Mhonir region of Bajor is an electronic dead-zone and a communications nightmare. Tourists who wish for a location that is more...natural go there to get away from technology for a short period."
He turned back to Oma.
"It's still a great idea, the message should be in your parents e-box until they connect to it...you do realize Starfleet may have told them already that you're missing or...worse. This will come as a massive shock to them."
Oma swallowed nervously. " I know but I want to...have to do it."
Logan nodded. "Fair enough, so what are we going to tell them?"
Everyone looked at him.
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Ten-forward...
Rogers could feel his headache building up.
It had started earlier in the medical bay soon after Ensign Kadretti was beamed to the medical bay.
He didn't know if it had to do with the recent excitement...or with the feelings he was getting from everyone around him.
Starbuck was curious about something...could be the new Starfleet ensign or the Xavier or the worm-hole which destroyed her viper.
Anders seemed curious and a bit worried; the second feeling increased any time he looked at Laura.
Helo was apprehensive and agitated anytime he looked at Rogers.
The ensign ignored his curious glances.
Sharon...now she was a bit harder to read; he could feel impatience and also curiosity even as she patiently described the tactics of cylons to Laura.
As for the captain's daughter; she was watching them with a calm neutral expression but he could sense the curiosity and suspicion in her.
He didn't blame her; he was sure he would feel the same if they swapped places.
Rogers found his mind returning once again to Oma Kadretti; he wondered how she was doing and suddenly he felt his head was a bit clearer and the headache was a lot less.
"Hey man; you okay?" whispered Anders to the ensign without looking at him.
Rogers suppressed a curse as he felt the headache return in a rush as thoughts of Oma left his mind. He tried not to snap at the senior officer.
"Yes, sir. I'm fine. Just a bit tired."
Anders glanced at him very briefly. "You look worse than that pal. Are you sure you had enough to eat?"
Rogers looked down at his plate which still had an honest-to-Gods lettuce and ham sandwich on it; then he looked back at Anders who was staring at the food hungrily.
"Sir; you can have it...I'm really full."
Anders grinned at him. "Thanks pal," he reached for the sandwich without another word.
Rogers found himself smiling a little.
Once Laura gave them the fruits she showed them how to order meals. At first they had been a bit nervous; but once Sharon did it so easily, Starbuck had gently pushed her out of the way to have a go.
Trust the female pilot to see everything as a competition.
Laura had cautioned them on eating small meals since their digestive system may not be used to it.
But one could understand that they had found it hard to heed her advice.
None of them had seen good standard normal food for 2 years; eating algae got so boring very fast.
However, Rogers found it hard to eat beyond the first sandwich and had just sipped his cool glass of water. He had been hoping that it would reduce the pressure in his head.
He heard Laura ask a question and forced himself to return to the discussion at hand.
"Apart from Lieutenant Agathon; have any of you done a recon on a basestar?"
Silence met her words; before Anders answered. "No...it's way too risky."
Laura's eyes narrowed. "Why?"
Anders stared at her. "There are several reasons.
First of all the cylons would see us coming from miles away; their sensors are more sensitive and advanced.
Second we do not have the manpower or gear or enough vipers to undertake that sort of mission.
Third; what would we gain by doing it?
We already know they wish to wipe us out, they made that point very clear when they nuked the colonies." Anders paused and tried to calm himself down; he easily became angered when he remembered the death and chaos that he barely escaped from on Caprica.
"How would you feel if they had attacked Earth?"
Laura just kept looking at him with a calm expression. "I don't know. I definitely cannot empathize with you."
Three of the colonials stared at her in shock; while Rogers looked a bit puzzled.
"Don't you care about your home world?" asked Sharon in horror.
Laura opened her mouth to reply but another person spoke first.
"You do care," they all turned to stare at Rogers who was looking at Laura steadily " you just want to pretend that you don't." His voice sounded distracted.
The female teenager stared at him. "Jean was right...you're an empath alright."
"Okay, will someone please tell me what an empath is ?" asked a worried looking Helo.
Laura kept her eyes on Rogers as she answered Helo's question.
"Ensign Rogers is a mutant ; his ability is sensing other people's feelings and also predicting possibilities."
Helo's jaw dropped as he turned to Rogers. "You're an oracle?!"
The ensign turned to him. "Yes sir; but so is Dr Grey."
Sharon blinked. "What?"
Laura frowned. " Come again?"
Roger's answered. "An oracle sees the future...that must be why Dr Grey knew what we were about to do something before we finished thinking it..."
His voice trailed off when Laura started laughing.
"I really hate to correct you on that," she said with a grin " but Dr Grey is a telepath who can also move things with her mind.
I doubt your oracles did that."
"What if she's a different type of oracle ? I know what she is," countered Rogers.
"Hold up," said Starbuck a bit nervously " Laura, among our people, oracles are scarce and greatly treasured. Dr Grey would be respected greatly among us."
Laura folded her arms; a wry look on her face. "Oh really? It won't be airlock first then apologize later?"
Everyone looked embarrassed at her words.
The girl looked at them for a while; then sighed.
"Look, we accepted your apology , if not we wouldn't be having this conversation. However, we don't forget."
Starbuck had no trouble interpreting the hard light in the girl's eyes.
The crew of the Xavier did not trust them; and it was going to be hard to earn that trust.
The pilot suddenly wished she could beat the crap out of Saul Tigh.
"We understand."
Laura nodded as the doors opened behind her to reveal Captain Logan, Dr Grey and Ensign Kadretti.
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The bridge...
Oma watched as Q Junior terminated the transmission. As she had suspected her parents had not been in so it had been sent to the e-message and marked urgent.
She just prayed her parents saw it before they heard the news of her 'apparent' demise.
The message had been hard to create; everyone had turned to Captain Logan who had also been a bit unsure of what to report to Starfleet.
Somehow that made her a bit reassured; because for some inexplicable reason that behaviour confirmed that the man before her was really 'Wolverine' of the X-men.
She had thought of a clone or imposter; after all this would not be the first time that such had happened.
But the adamantium bound to his bones was the real deal.
Since her ability was triggered as a child; Oma could sense metals and as she got older she could tell what most of them were from a distance.
Oma had seen and 'felt' adamantium before ; but only small amounts of it and it had a distinct feel. She had never felt the amount of ore that was bound to Logan's skeletal frame.
It must have been an extremely painful procedure; because adamantium could only be shaped or molded when boiling hot and once hardened it was nigh indestructible.
And to think that the same procedure had been done to his daughter.
Oma knew this because she had 'felt' the same type of metal when Laura had entered the room.
"Well; that's done now," said Q Junior interrupting her thoughts.
"I don't think it would be wise to communicate anymore until this recon mission is done."
Logan nodded. " Agreed," he looked at Oma " I bet you're hungry. We'll be going to Ten-forward in a moment to meet up with the others."
"I need to get back to the medical bay," said Jean " I'll catch up with you guys later."
"Jean I would really appreciate it if you attended the meeting we're about to have."
The doctor gave him a puzzled look which cleared for a few moments.
"Okay; but I really need to tidy up the medical bay."
Logan nodded. "I understand but I really need you to be part of the first round of meetings. We don't have much time."
Jean was silent for a while before replying. "Fine."
Logan looked at the two junior Starfleet officers. "Ensigns; let's go." He headed for the turbo-lift with the three not far behind.
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Oma had lots of questions but she felt asking them in the turbo-lift would not be appropriate; she waited until they were out on the corridor then she grabbed Q Junior's arm and pulled him back a little.
"Hey, what is it?" asked the male ensign with a puzzled look on his face.
Logan glanced back at them briefly before he started talking to the doctor beside him.
"I just need to know a few things first; how and why did the colonials try to kill you and Laura?"
Q Junior started frowning. "Well; I guess it's best to get that tale out of the way.
To cut a long story short; we picked up a beacon on a planet ; however the cylons and colonials arrived there shortly after the captain and the doctor went planet-side to see what the signal was about.
The two groups were after something on the planet; the cylons came after the Xavier and demanded to board her; but we could not beam up the captain and Dr Grey due to the strong EMG interference from the sun.
So Laura and I took a shuttle to get to them but we ran into cylons and also rescued a couple of colonials.
However the cylons began to nuke the planet so Laura and I dived into the first transport we could find," he paused.
"This happened to be a colonial transport; also we thought the captain and the doctor were with them; so we escaped from the planet and the colonials took us to their fleet..."
"You call this a short story?!" interrupted an impatient Oma.
"Let me get to it sister," said Q Junior acidly "anyway Laura and I got onto their flag-ship the Galactica where we were immediately accused of being cylons and tossed into an airlock."
Oma stared at him in shock. "They...they didn't space you...it was just a threat; was it?"
The grim look on Q Junior's face made her realize that something bad had occurred.
"Their XO, Colonel Saul Tigh blew the airlock; Laura stuck her claws into the metal floor to prevent her from being sucked out and I was able to phase through and 'convince' them to open the airlock so that Laura could be retrieved."
"How did you convince them?" asked Oma while dreading the answer.
"I put a gun to the XO's head," said Q Junior is a cold tone.
"Did you...did..?" she couldn't say it.
"He didn't get hurt; but Laura had de-compression injuries," his voice had a hard edge "fortunately she recovered quickly."
Oma felt dizzy with relief. "And you're still helping the colonials ?"
Q Junior sighed. "I did tell you that this was not going to be easy; didn't I?"
The two walked in silence for a while.
"There's more you haven't told me is there?" it was not exactly a question.
Q Junior nodded. "Yes; but as you can see we don't have time for a comprehensive show and tell. You will be told when the time comes."
Oma bit her lower lip in annoyance but realized she had to accept that. "I know this recon is important but why pick this particular bunch of colonials ?
How sure are you that they can be trusted to not try and take over this ship?"
Q Junior smiled with approval. "Good questions. Here are the answers.
Junior Lieutenant Anders and Ensign Rogers got their a...em behinds kicked when they tried to save Laura and I. Rogers actually got his left forearm broken.
Also Rogers may have just realized he's a mutant with precognitive and empathy abilities; it's thanks to him that we were able to pick you up. So you own him one." Oma was a bit shocked and uncomfortable at that revelation.
Q Junior was not done.
"Lieutenant Sharon Agathon is a cylon." Oma gasped at that bit of news.
"... who has sided with the colonials and as far as I'm concerned I trust her more than the others. Helo is a her husband; he prevented a certain colonial officer from attempting to nuke the Xavier.
And Starbuck is...trouble; but she seems to be tight with the Agathons and is married to Anders so it might be best if we have her in our corner."
Q Junior looked at her as they walked. "By the by; just a quick word of advice, the colonials think the captain, Dr Grey and Laura were put in stasis for the past 376 years and that I was sent to a secret military base by Starfleet to retrieve them.
I so did not put that idea in their heads but if they ask you about it; just say you don't know...or it's classified."
Oma looked shell-shocked for a long moment. "You're right...this is not going to be easy."
There was a dry chuckle from the front ; Logan turned back to look at the two ensigns with a wry grin on his face.
"Trust me; it never is."
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Ten-forward...
Oma walked in with the others and was immediately aware of the change in the atmosphere.
Everyone turned to look at them and most of them stared at her.
The new addition to the team.
Oma found herself remembering her father's advice. "Spine straight; shoulders back and a calm expression on your face. Works almost every time."
She was also grateful for the new uniform Dr Grey replicated for her before they left the medical bay; but she still felt self –conscious as the colonials and the captain's daughter stared at her.
Oma forced herself to glance at them and she noticed the blond male ensign was openly looking at her. However when she looked at him directly he turned away quickly; his cheeks seemed a bit red.
"Alright; I'm sure everyone has questions," started Logan "so I'll make this brief and easy.
Ensign Ihuoma Kadretti is a crew member of the USS Dunkirk, she cannot return to her ship so she'll be staying with us."
Logan paused seeing the puzzled looks on their faces.
"How exactly did she get here ? And what was that thing that destroyed my viper?!" demanded a female blonde in slightly threadbare colonial garb.
Logan glanced at a silent Oma before turning back to the standing female colonial officer.
"Ensign Kadretti meet Lieutenant Kara 'Starbuck' Thrace of the 12 colonies of Kobol."
Oma stepped forward aware of all the eyes on her. "Hello," she managed to say calmly.
Kara narrowed her eyes and stepped closer. "Is it possible for you to explain to us what happened an hour ago?"
Oma tried not to retreat from her aggressive tone, she looked at Captain Logan and Dr Grey.
"Just explain what you can Ensign Kadretti," said Dr Grey with an encouraging smile.
Keep it simple and remember the Prime Directive.
Oma just barely stopped herself from showing her surprise then realized that Q Junior must have tried to bring them up to speed about the Federation and it's laws. She nodded slightly before turning back to an impatient colonial officer.
"I am Ensign Ihuoma Kadretti and I was stationed on the USS Dunkirk, a Starfleet science vessel.
Our ship and a few others were investigating an anomaly at the Romulan-Neutral Border. Our sensors identified it as an evolving worm-hole, this came as a surprise to us because 2 weeks ago that anomaly did not exist in that section of space."
"What is the Romulan-Neutral border?" asked a dark haired man beside an asian looking woman.
"And you are?" she asked politely.
To her surprise, the man actually blushed at her question. "My apologies; I guess introductions are in order. I am Captain Karl 'Helo' Agathon."
He turned to the woman by his side. "My wife, Lieutenant Sharon 'Athena' Agathon."
He pointed at the brown haired man beside Starbuck.
"That's Junior Lieutenant Samuel. and this here ," Helo placed his hand on the shoulder of the last youngest looking colonial "is Ensign Billy Rogers.
We're all members of the Colonial Fleet."
"Fine, fine; now that we all know each other; may we please return to the matter at hand? What the frak is this border we're talking about?" asked Kara.
Oma noticed Laura's eyes narrow as she turned to concentrate on the irritated female pilot.
Oma thought fast as she replied carefully.
"The Romulan Neutral border was created after the end of the Earth-Romulan War in 2160; more than 200 years ago."
Starbuck's face seemed to go still at her words; Oma was not done yet.
"However this anomaly was so large it straddled the border and the Romulans asked for our assistance in investigating it."
"How close was this anomaly to Earth ?" asked Starbuck with a glint in her eyes.
Oma looked at her suspiciously, at maximum warp a Starfleet ship could get to Earth from the Border in 12.6 hours but she was not ready to tell the colonial officer that.
"Why do you ask?"
The blonde smiled knowingly. "It's pretty close isn't it ? What I would like to know is if you can recreate the worm-hole that brought you here."
Oma stared back at the colonial officer. "Even if I could; I wouldn't and the reason is pretty simple.
The Federation and the Romulans had to forge an uneasy alliance to fight the Dominion and their allies.
The War which ended 7 years ago; lasted 2 years and cost the lives of close to 2 billion people.
And would you like to know how the Dominion invaded the Alpha Quadrant?
By coming through a similar sized worm-hole; now you know why it concerned so many people.
Also try to imagine if we could re-create the wormhole and your fleet decided to go through it.
The Romulans would see it as an act of war and they don't ask questions before shooting first."
There was dead silence at her calm words.
There was a dry chuckle from Logan. "Now; that sounds familiar doesn't it?"
"So you have absolutely no idea how the wormhole was created?" said a calm voice.
Everyone's attention was drawn to Rogers who had been silent through this conversation.
Oma looked at him. "No; I don't. If you wish to get to Earth, we'll have to go the long route."
"Which brings us to the next part of this meeting," said Logan smoothly as Kara was about to ask another question.
"People; we are already behind schedule. What we need to do now is to plan how we're going to sneak on board a basestar and get the information we need."
Oma hung back and listened with avid interest.
"Information on their defensive and offensive capabilities and if they have any indication of Earth's location..."
"And our daughter; we get our daughter," cut in Lieutenant Sharon Agathon.
Oma could not hide her surprise at those words, Q Junior had told her the woman was a cylon.
She had a daughter ? How ?
The child is a human-cylon hybrid; possibly the first ever born her father is Captain Karl Agathon.
Oma did not clamp down on her mental shields; she could tell Dr Grey was only trying to make things clearer for her and she appreciated it a lot.
Sharon is convinced they have her; I think there is more here than meets the eye. We haven't really had a chance to find out what is exactly going on.
Is the Captain going to search for the child as well? Oma thought back to the feminine presence in her head.
I don't know mindspoke Jean I hope he does.
Meanwhile Logan had turned to Sharon.
"You do realize the basestar we might get on board may not have her there; we also have to make sure she's yours."
The female cylon exchanged a worried look with her husband. "I...I know she will be there."
Logan was silent for a long while; then he frowned. "I can't make any promises; we don't exactly know what we're going up against.
We may have to go in fast and it will take a miracle for them not to notice us...we need to prepare ourselves for casualties on both sides."
"So who's going to be on the team?" asked Laura with a blank look on her face.
Logan turned to her. "I'll lead; Q Junior has to come along as he may need to hack into the interface." The hologram nodded.
"Lieutenant Agathon may need to get us in because she looks like one of the cylon models.
Lieutenant Thrace and Junior Lieutenant Anders; any recon experience of any sort?"
The couple nodded. "Yes sir," said Anders " not on a basestar but we know the drill."
Logan nodded then turned to a surprised Oma. "Seeing how you flew that barely functioning shuttle through the anomaly...how good are your piloting skills?"
Oma tried to stand even straighter as she answered with quiet pride. "2nd best in my discipline sir; which was Astro-navigation."
Logan raised an eyebrow. " Good enough," he turned back to the people watching " that will be the team..."
"Hold up what about me ?" interrupted Laura quickly.
"And me as well?" asked Rogers standing up a bit unsteadily.
"I would also like to be along for this sir," asked Helo respectively.
"Ensign Rogers; from the way you just stood and from the mental fatigue you are experiencing you are in no condition to participate in this mission," answered Dr Grey firmly.
"But..." started Roger but his voice trailed off at the stern look on the doctor's face.
"Hello; back to me," said Laura impatiently " pops why can't I join this mission? You need me!"
Logan closed his eyes briefly then turned to Helo. "Wait one moment."
He looked at Laura. "Not now Laura."
"Oh no captain! This is the right time to talk about it," something in her voice had Logan turning back to her. He stared at her eyes so familiar to his for a long time.
"Okay; what is it?"
She shook her head. "This is not the place, Captain may I speak to you outside now?" her voice was barely above a growl.
Logan narrowed his eyes and he glanced at her hands which were hanging loose by her sides.
A similar posture he took just before popping them.
"Fine; let's take this outside." With barely a glance at the stunned people in the room; the two left the mess room.
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Jean watched them go with a worried look in her eyes; for a moment she had been tempted to 'peak' and find out what was going on.
Not such a good idea. Said the Phoenix.
Why not ? You know something!
The Phoenix seemed to sigh. This was bound to happen ; it's better now than during the recon mission.
Now Jean was worried. What is going on?
Nothing that really concerns you, by the by you need to see to Rogers; the poor lad is about to pass out again.
Jean was suddenly aware of the thoughts of distress from the young colonial officer and she approached him quickly to the surprise of his fellow pilots.
The ensign was fortunately sitting down but he looked a bit pale.
"Mr Rogers; you look exhausted," she pulled out a tricorder and started running a scan.
"I'm fine...just tired," muttered the pale looking pilot.
"No you're not; you look like crap pal," said Kara; she looked at Dr Grey.
"What is wrong with him?"
Jean answered without looking at her. "I believe Rogers had been unconsciously shielding his mind before today; but now that he is fully aware of what he can do...the shields have failed.
Thus the emotions of everyone on this ship has worn him out."
"Shielding his mind?" asked Anders dubiously.
"Yeah; try and imagine feeling what everyone around you feels. It can be overwhelming," said Jean in a distracted voice as she completed her scanning.
She then touched Rogers lightly on the right shoulder.
"Ensign; I need you to try and focus, your mind is quite open right now and you are already being overwhelmed by the feelings of the people around you."
"I'm trying...I don't know what to do," said Rogers in a slightly anxious voice
"Should we move away for a bit?" asked a concerned Sharon.
Jean glanced at her. "That may work but not for long," she turned back to Rogers. "I can help you but you need to follow me step by step..."
"Dr Grey," Q Junior's worried voice had her turning to face the anxious looking male teenager.
Something told her that she was not going to like what she heard.
"I just spoke to Xavier...a danger room programme has been initiated in the holodeck. Current occupants the captain and Laura."
Jean felt the blood drain from her face.
Do not interfere! Warned the Phoenix.
Jean ruthlessly shut her out and turned to Oma.
"Help Rogers build his shields, Q Junior and I will be in the holodeck," she did not give the female ensign time to answer before she was running from the mess room with the hologram not far behind.
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Oma gaped in disbelief as the doctor and Q Junior ran out of the mess hall.
Whatever had the two running had to be serious.
"What's a danger room programme and did I just hear a holodeck?" asked Kara in a suspicious voice.
Danger room programme; where have I heard that before?
Thought Oma; then she realized the 5 colonials were now looking at her for answers.
"I can't talk about that...maybe you can ask the Captain when he gets back...I thought four of you were about to move away so that I could help Ensign Rogers."
Anders shared a look with his wife.
"Fine," he said to Oma's surprise " we'll be at the next table...just watching."
Oma had to smile at the obvious fact that they didn't trust her.
Fair enough; she didn't trust them either.
She turned back to Rogers who was staring at her with his disconcerting blue eyes. Oma felt her face heat up at her scrutiny.
"Hi," she said a bit awkwardly as she sat down opposite him.
The male colonial ensign dropped his gaze and swallowed nervously before answering. "Hi ."
Oma frowned and nodded; at loss for what to say; then looked sideways to see that the four colonials were watching them with what suspiciously looked like disbelief on their faces.
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Sharon was the first to notice something was off about Rogers; then she realized what it was.
Ever since the Starfleet female ensign had entered the room; the boy had not taken his eyes off the girl. Sharon then noticed Anders and Helo whispering with their heads together and with her enhanced hearing she could tell they had noticed the same thing.
Then when Ensign Kadretti sat across the Rogers; his gaze had been more intense than ever.
"This is frakking unbelievable; it looks like Rogers is in love," said Kara in a stunned whisper to Sharon.
"Maybe he's just curious," whispered the cylon back to her.
Kara snorted. "Yeah right; I sure hope he knows what he may be getting himself involved with. She is not your typical human female."
Sharon stared at her. "Just like me?"
Kara rolled her eyes and hissed. "Geez Athena! I did not mean it that way..."
Sharon raised a hand to calm her down. "I'm sure you didn't...just don't try to mess things up please."
Kara stared at her in disbelief; then gestured towards Rogers. "I'm not the one you should be worried about!"
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Oma tried not to dwell on what the colonials' expressions meant.
She had bigger problems to deal with.
"Ensign Rogers; I know this is new for you. I need you to focus on something calming."
He closed his eyes briefly then opened them again. "Like what?"
"Try to recall something from your past or your memories that makes you smile; something that holds your centre," Oma was trying hard to recall mental shield teaching 101 that had been taught to her as a child and articles she had read about empaths and telepaths.
The difficulty was that she had only been taught how to shield and protect her mind; but she felt she could adjust her teaching to temporary help Rogers until the good doctor got back.
Rogers blinked several times and closed his eyes' tightly as if he had a migraine.
"It's not working," he sounded like he was panicking and he began to ventilate.
Unthinkingly she reached out and touched his right cheek gently; his breathing slowed down at once.
"There is something right there in your mind which has a calming effect; do you see it?"
Moments passed before he answered.
"Yes...yes I do."
Oma withdrew her hand and was a bit stunned when he seemed to follow it.
"Keep still and calm and do not lose that memory and moment of calmness. It is your anchor and your rock. Surround it with a wall or barrier and hold on to it." She watched him close his eyes and his breathing sounded much easier.
"Now how do you feel Ensign Rogers?"
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Earlier on as the meeting continued; Rogers had felt his headache growing worse and worse.
The feelings in the room were intense and he felt as if his mind was being battered from all directions.
Then he heard Captain Logan assign people to the recon team and he was shocked that his name had not been called. He stood up to protest and almost fell.
Rogers heard Dr Grey's reason for him not going; all he tried to concentrate on was on not passing out again in-front of everyone.
Especially not in front of Ensign Ihuoma Kadretti.
He had to remember to call her by her full name and rank; he had got too familiar with her name the first time and that had pissed her off alright.
Rogers struggled with his growing headache and missed when Laura confronted her father about not being on the team; he barely registered the two leaving the mess hall.
When Dr Grey came over to help him; he had felt her mind trying to help him but he had a strong feeling that it was going to be someone else entirely who was going to teach him how to protect his mind.
So it had come as no surprise to him when Dr Grey and Q Junior had to run from the mess hall to attend an emergency involving the captain and his daughter.
Except that what they were running to wasn't exactly an emergency; but he was too tired and in too much pain to tell them that in time.
Then Oma sat down across him.
For a long moment all he could do was stare at her.
Her red and black Starfleet uniform was pristine and looked extremely flattering on her slim figure; she must have got a new one in the medical bay.
Suddenly he was conscious of his threadbare less than pristine colonial pilot uniform.
"Hi," she said in dulcet tones.
Rogers swallowed nervously and dropped his gaze briefly before replying.
Ensign Kadretti frowned back at him as if irritated by his inane response; she nodded before glancing at the 4 colonial officers who were watching them closely.
Something in their expressions seemed to make her frown even more.
Rogers found him-self wanting to hear her voice again and almost sighed in relief when she started advising him to search his past for a memory that could calm him down.
He tried but it was hard to pinpoint on a particular thing; maybe it was the exhaustion or the building headache; then he felt a warm firm small hand rest on his cheek for a brief moment and he felt his headache begin to recede at once.
"There is something right there in your mind which has a calming effect; do you see it?" said the female Starfleet officer in a soft voice.
Rogers concentrated on the face of Ensign Ihuoma Kadretti and her voice; moments passed before he answered.
"Yes...yes I do."
When she tried to take her hand away he tried to follow it but she retrieved it quickly and the worried look in her face had him sitting back in his chair.
"Keep still and calm and do not lose that memory and moment of calmness. It is your anchor and your rock. Surround it with a wall or barrier; hold on to it." She watched him close his eyes and his breathing sounded much easier as he held on to the image of the pretty female officer before him.
"Now how do you feel Ensign Rogers?"
Rogers felt as if he had just put 'layers' around his mind and the noise or interference was now much reduced. His head felt a lot lighter.
"I feel better...much better."
She gave wary look. "You sure about that?"
He nodded and prayed she did not ask him what thought he had used to calm his mind.
"Yes, I am certain. Thank you for your help."
Ensign Kadretti nodded slowly. "Fine," she looked a bit uncomfortable as she continued speaking "I guess I should thank you as well for saving me. You prevented the Xavier from leaving before I came through the worm-hole. Thanks again."
Roger was a bit stunned; he had actually forgotten his part in that. "Eh...you're welcome."
"Hey Rogers; you alright?" asked Kara loudly as she and the other colonials approached the two ensigns.
The colonial ensign nodded. "I feel a lot better," he looked at the Starfleet officer sitting across him " she helped me a lot."
"Huh," said Kara as she turned to regard the silent Starfleet officer with a curious look in her eyes. Kara's gaze moved to the ridges on the girl's forehead.
Ensign Kadretti stared back at her calmly.
"Mind if I ask you a few questions?"
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Oma sighed inwardly at the female colonial officer's words.
This was to be expected; they probably thought that now they had her alone that she was going to give them information like Earth's co-ordinates.
Not on her watch.
"In the medical bay; you mentioned a ship called the USS Zeus. Do you realize what that name means?"
Oma was surprised at her question and the odd look in Kara's face warned her to answer it with care.
"The USS Zeus was named after the Greek father of the Gods. Is that significant to you?"
Kara exchanged a long look with her husband but did not answer.
"I have also noticed that Lieutenant Agathon's middle name is Athena...she was considered the warrior goddess," continued Oma "so please tell me what is the significance of these names to you."
Kara looked at her for a long time.
"Fine; I'm going to tell you about the Kobol, its' 12 Colonies and how everything was destroyed."
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Jean and Q Junior ran down the corridor to the turbo-lift.
"How long have they been in there?" asked a worried Jean.
"Exactly 5 minutes," said Q Junior. He was stunned to hear the doctor swear.
Dammit! What the hell were they thinking?!" she turned to Q Junior " can we turn off the programme from here?"
The male ensign shook his head. "No can do; we have to enter the holodeck to attempt that."
Jean hissed in frustration.
Phoenix! Help me out here!
There was silence in her mind for a while.
PHOENIX!
Mentally screamed Jean.
Oh geez! Now you need my help?! Will you calm down before you undo the delicate work that Oma who is not an empath by the way was able to do on Rogers!?
That eroded Jean's rage.
You mean she was able to help him?
Yeah; looks like he's quite taken with her mind-spoke the entity in Jean's mind. The Phoenix actually sounded a bit amused.
That is not the most important thing right now! Why didn't you tell me what Logan had planned?
There was an un-lady like snort in her mind. Now what makes you think that whatever you 'think' is happening on the holodeck was his idea ?
Do me a favour; go there, have a look then come back to me with an apology!
Jean had the feeling of a mental door being slammed in her face.
"Dr Grey" she turned to an anxious looking Q Junior who was standing outside the turbo lift; they had reached their destination.
"Are you alright?"
"Yes...just worried about Logan and Laura."
The male teenager looked a bit relieved at that explanation.
"I have tried to check on what is going on in the holodeck; but the program belongs to Laura...I don't think hacking it will be wise."
Jean glared at him and he flinched but kept eye contact.
"Dr Grey...we may be jumping to conclusions but..."
"Just get me inside," snapped Jean as they both approached the holodeck.
Q Junior bit his lower lip and kept quiet.
He punched in a code but the doors refused to slide apart.
Q Junior frowned . " Xavier; voice over-ride if you please."
"Unable to comply; captain's orders were that they were not to be disturbed."
Jean resisted the strong urge to swear. "Xavier; this is Dr Grey; open this door now or so help me God...," she stopped as her inner voice warned her that this situation was not the AI's fault.
She closed her eyes and counted to ten.
"Xavier; I'm really sorry that you're in the middle of this...situation; but we really need to get in there. Please let us in."
There was silence for several moments; then the holodeck doors slid open to Jean and Q Junior's surprise.
The two looked at each other for a brief second and ran into the deck.
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Q Junior had not expected the ship's AI to comply; after-all the captain had given directives on not letting anyone into the holodeck.
To be honest; Q Junior was very worried about what was going on in the holodeck; he couldn't even begin to imagine what it could be.
At first he had been tempted to hack into Laura's files.
Over the last 4 weeks before they met the colonials and cylons; she had spent a lot of time in the holodeck.
Q Junior had been smart enough to know that whatever programme she had created was to be considered private and thus none of his business.
He just hoped no one was getting hurt in there or he would never forgive himself.
The door to the holodeck had barely slid aside before he and the doctor ran inside; he was not prepared for what was behind the door.
To put it simply it was a war-zone.
And Logan and Laura were in the middle of it.
The setting was late evening; in the midst of a burnt out smoking sub-urban area which if repaired could be identical to the sub-urban areas in any part of the former United States of America.
Q Junior and the doctor found themselves at the top of a hill; both of them could see Logan and Laura were in the middle of the devastated area fighting.
But not each other; they were battling against what looked suspiciously like 9-feet tall centurions armed with guns and swords.
Jean tried to move forward only to get stopped by a force-field.
"Xavier; what's going on? Why the forcefield?"
"I'm afraid I cannot let you go further Dr Grey. This programme is called 'Project C' by Laura, the safety protocols have been disabled. This is currently Level 2 at moderate difficulty."
Q Junior stared at the ceiling in shock. "Moderate difficulty?! They are fighting close to 34 centurions at the moment and you call this moderate! With no safety protocols!?"
Jean looked at the boy beside her; he was almost yelling at the last part.
"Affirmative," replied Xavier calmly "however approaching them during battle will increase the risk of bodily harm as you will distract them."
Jean suddenly felt a bit ashamed; she had been so intent on getting here that she had not considered the potential danger she and Q may put Logan and Laura in.
Then she felt annoyed as she wondered why they had not told her what they were about to do!
"Xavier is right," said Jean to Q Junior's surprise "we need to wait this out. However get more dermal replicators and or analgesia in case we do need them."
Q Junior nodded. "There're always med-kits in the holodeck, just in case someone does something stupid." He still sounded angry as he ran to get the nearest kit which was near the entrance into the deck.
Jean turned back to watch the battle going on in the middle of the small town.
She was in time to see a centurion turn to aim it's modified hand-gun at Laura's chest; but Logan intercepted himself and received the barrage point blank.
Jean felt her chest constrict painfully as she saw him stagger but he roared and used his adamantium claws to rip the centurion to pieces.
Meanwhile, Laura rolled into a group of approaching centurions. Before they could shoot she used her claws to cut their legs out from under them; then as they went down on shattered knees she decapitated them in mere seconds.
Later when Jean thought about it; Laura had seemed fluid, fast and silent, almost akin to a ballet dancer armed with hand and foot claws.
Very unlike her father who was more of a battering ram with indestructible adamantium claws.
All too soon; the approaching centurions were in pieces at the feet of both fighters.
"Level 2 of Project C completed, programme ended,"announced Xavier before the scene reverted back to that of the holo-deck.
"That was quick," said Q Junior who had returned to Jean's side. He was now clutching a med-kit in his right hand.
Jean reached out once more and realized the protective force-field was down.
Without another word; she and the male ensign approached the two mutants in the middle of the holo-deck.
Laura and Logan were both breathing a bit faster and watching each other as Dr Grey and Q Junior approached.
"Xavier; what's the score?" asked Logan without indicating that he was aware of the two people getting closer to him.
"Captain Logan 14 kills; Laura 20 kills."
"Whoopee," celebrated Laura dryly " I told you I would beat you old man. So what's it going to be? I'm in or out ?"
Jean exchanged a stunned look with Q Junior.
This had been a competition ?
Logan stared at Laura for a long time.
"You're in."
Jean and Q Junior gaped at him while Laura gave one of her rare smiles.
"You...you mean it?"
"On one condition that you follow my orders..."
"Yeah I get it," interrupted Laura "I know how to do my job, pops."
"Logan." The captain and Laura turned to Jean; she did not look pleased.
"A word now please."
"Em...I 'll just get changed," said Laura hurryingly when she saw the look on the doctor's face. Q Junior went after her with a set look on his face.
Before the two were out of earshot, Jean and Logan could hear them arguing.
"No safety protocols?! What the hell were you thinking?!"
"Q, I know how to take care of myself; this is not my first rodeo..."
"That is so not the point!..."
The voices of the two teens died away before Jean decided to speak.
"Would you care to explain yourself Captain Logan?"
Logan winced; the ice in her voice could have frozen the Atlantic in seconds.
"Laura wants to be part of the recon mission, I know if I say no...she's going to try and come anyway.
Look how well that turned out the last time."
Jean knew he was talking of the airlock incident with the colonials.
"You have to reason with her not to do this..."
"I tried Jean," cut in Logan " I tried but she's not ready to listen."
"A recon mission on board a cylon basestar is not the place for a child!" hissed Jean.
Logan stared at her "You think I don't know that?! There is nothing short of locking her up in the brig that would stop her from coming along and something tells me that is certainly not an option."
Jean bit her lower lip. "Then I'm coming with you."
Logan shook his head. "You can't, someone has to watch over the Xavier; you come and we leave two colonials in charge of this ship who clearly know nothing about it.
Besides you are our plan B and C in case you need to pull us out of a fire-fight."
Jean could see the reason in his decision but it was so hard for her to accept it.
Logan walked up to her. "Jean, please I need your help and support on this one...I see myself in that kid; if I lock her up she will get free and come after us.
That could jeopardise the whole mission."
Jean was silent for a long moment then sighed loudly; signalling defeat.
"We need to cover every angle and get you all proper uniforms," she touched his bullet holed shirt "I don't like this at all Logan."
He touched her right shoulder gently. "I don't really have a choice."
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In orbit around Deep Space Nine, USS Prometheus...
Nadia felt numb and tired as she and her husband entered their living quarters.
The flight back to Jalanda from the Mhonir region had been longer than they expected because of a storm which they had to wait out.
Though exhausted; she was eager for the ship to leave for the Romulan Neutral Border at once.
She looked at her husband; he had already changed back into his red and black uniform with the commander rank.
"We need to tell my parents; they can get someone to start from their end."
Trey's hands stilled as he adjusted his uniform.
"Maybe we should wait until we get the full facts..."
"Wait?!" cut in Nadia with a hiss "the Romulans took her hours ago, waiting is not an option! We need to act now."
"Nadia, the captain has already cancelled everyone's shore leave and is going to use this ship to help us look for our daughter.
I will not rest until I find her, but getting your parents involved this early in the situation may cause more harm than good."
Nadia raised her hands in frustration. "Like what?!"
"Like starting a war," he walked over to her and took her hands in his gently "we don't even know what her ship had been called to investigate.
Until we have more facts, we trust Captain E'Kalez...she has never let us down before and she knows what is at risk."
Nadia looked at her husband's clear hazel eyes for a long time; then sighed.
"Alright, alright, we'll do it your way but we will have to tell my family soon what has happened."
Trey kissed her hands. "I promise, we will."
At that point his com-badge bleeped.
"Commander Kadretti and Dr Kadretti to the captain's ready room please, we're about to start the meeting." It was Demarce's voice.
Husband and wife looked at each other.
"We'll be there soon," replied Trey.
"Let me change first; then we can go," said Nadia as she moved off towards the wardrobe.
Trey nodded and watched her go; he knew how she felt.
He wanted Oma found as soon as possible and realized each moment that passed was too long.
Trey's began to pace as his wife changed quickly and his eyes were caught by the red light on the vid-com device on the table.
He looked at the significant number of messages and sighed; he reached towards it to quickly browse who had tried to reach them in their absence.
"I'm ready." Nadia now stood before him in a new set of clothes.
Trey pulled his hand back from the vid-com; the messages could wait.
The search for his daughter could not.
As the two left the living quarters, the red light on the vid-com continued to flash.
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Hi everyone; hope you all like this one; please read and enjoy and thanks so much to everyone for their reviews.
Have a great week people.
